Keep it Simple!: Our Logo Design Story

by Katherine Werner, Camille Parker, and Justin Kaylor

This semester, in Dr. Sojung Kim’s Communication 204 Introduction to Public Relations class, our group had the opportunity to complement our participation in Mason’s Communication Forum by researching and designing a logo to be submitted for consideration in the forum’s logo design competition. With the task of creating a compelling and engaging logo that best encapsulates the mission of the Communication Forum, our team focused on designing a logo that would brand this event for years to come.

The strength of our logo lies in its simplicity. In a digital age where we are inundated with information and imagery we created a design that would cut through the “noise”. Following the Attention-Response-Meaning-Memory (ARMM) model of logo design, we tried several versions of our logo until they met the qualities of any successful logo design: attention grabbing, responsive, meaningful, and memorable. With our millennial audience in mind, we chose to shape the “Os” in “Communication Forum” to an emoji reminiscent icon. Additionally, we tied in George Mason University’s colors. It was satisfying and rewarding to see our hard work paid off, as we won the competition.

We put a lot of time and energy into this logo, and it was amazing to see it implemented at the Communication Forum. The logo was used for the event’s booklets, posters, and even temporary tattoos that were made to promote the event, worn by students, professors, and PR professionals alike. The professors and professionals who learned we made the logo offered great praise for our design.

This was an valuable simulation of real world project, requiring us to be prompt, listen to our client, and execute without much direction. We know that as communication professionals, we will encounter tasks like this where we must create a product that is both innovative and timely. We are thankful for this experience and this assignment from Dr. Kim’s class. Overall, it was an excellent learning experience. We cannot wait to see what happens next in our journey as George Mason University’s communication students.